Step 8: Push the Mower Backwards

Pushing the mower backwards will now sharpen the blades. Push the mower until it the reel is moving easily, then adjust the screws on the fixed blade so that it is is hard to push the mower. Now push the mower until it is easy, again. You want to repeat this until the blades are shiny all the way across.

http://youtu.be/locDYNSIrKs Video:

Step 9: This Is What It Looks Like Sharp

Step 10: Wash Off the Grit With Water

As the blade gets sharper you can start to wash off the grit with water. This makes the blade easier to turn. You also want all the grinding compound to be gone by the time you are done.

Step 11: Take Off the Wheels, Again

Step 12: Swap the Gears, Again

Put the gears back on the correct sides. So that the mower will go forwards.

I sharpened my recently restored Craftsman with the blade and gears swapped and tan it bacwards. You can actually feel tge blade moving more and mo r e freely. I purchased a reel mower sharpening kit with the grit in a jar. That old mower cuts grass like scissors now. Once it got sharpened i tightened it a bit more and added more grit to take off more uneven wear due to heavy rust for so many years. So I did this process twice. Switched tge gears and flipped the blade back around and replaced the tires and tried it out on Newspaper. It sliced the paper without ripping on evety area I tried. The mower cuts even thick patches of grass with ease.